Rajani Kanth

PROFILE:Real Name: Shivaji Rao Gaekwad

Screen Name: Rajnikanth

Nick Names: SuperstarProfession: ActorDate of Birth: 12 Dec, 1950Star/Rasi: Sirvana/MagaramMother Tongue: MarathiBirth Place: BangaloreHeight: 5 feet 9 inchesWeight: 70 KgEducation: * Early education in Acharya Patasala and later in Raamakrishna Mission, Bangalore(PUC discontinued)* Studied in the Film InstituteFamily:Father: Ramoji RaoMother: RambhaiSister: Shrimathi AswathammaBrothers: Sathya Narayana Rao & Nageshwara RaoWife: LathaDaughters: Aishwarya & SowandaryaSon-in-law: DhanushMarriage Date: 26.02.198Earlier worked as: Carpenter, Bus ConductorGuru: K.BalachanderSpiritual Guru: Satchithananda SwamijiArdent Devotee of: Shri RaghavendraPolitics: Played a major part in putting together an alliance between the DMK and TMC which won the 1996 Tamil nadu elections.Admires: Lee Kwan Yew(Former Singapore prime minister)Favourites:Colour: BlackCity: ChennaiPlace: HimalayasFood: Non-Vegetarian itemsDress: White KhurthaHollywood Actor: Sylvester StalloneIndian Actor: KamalhaasanActress: Rekha (Hindi)Role: Romantic RolesMusician: IllayarajaFilms: Hollywood FilmsBooks: Books written by Shri Ramana MaharishiNovel: Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan & T. Janakiraman's Amma VanthalWriter: JayagandhanPoet: KannadasanFacts:* Had a very troubled childhood. Lost his mother when he was only 5 years old.* His father was a police constable.* His ancestors were believed to be from a village called Nachiar Kuppam in Dharmapuri Dist. of Tamilnadu.* Got his diploma in acting from Dr.P.N.Reddy.* Was discouraged a lot by his fellow film institute students.* In the beginning he did not know to speak Tamil well.* His film 'Muthu' was dubbed as 'Dancing Maharaja' in Japan and it ran for 23 weeks in Tokyo. film 'Yejaman' was dubbed as 'Dancing Maharaja II''* Has acted in two malayalam films and one Bengali film.* Likes to drive on his own.* Had acted in 12 of Amitabh's remade movies in Tamil* When he was working as a conductor his salary was around Rs.750 and one his friends named Raj Bhadhur gave him money to study in the film institute in Chennai.* Always prefers Big banners.Address : 18, Ragaveera avenue,Poes Gardent, Chennai- 600086Quote: Happiness begins when ambition ends.FILMOGRAPHY:Debut:Tamil:Aboorva RagangalHindi:Andhaa KanoonTelugu:Anthuleni KatahEnglish: Blood stoneKannada:Katha SangamaMalayalam: Alavudheenum Arputha VilakkumBengali: BhagyaDevtaCareer Firsts:Hero: BhairaviDual role: BillaTriple role:Moondru MugamPositive role: KavikuyilSinging: Adikuthu Kuliru (Mannan)Story and Screenplay: ValliMovie dubbed and released in Japan: MuthuFirst Film: Katha Sangama50th Film: Tiger (Telugu)100th Film: Shri Raghavendrar125th Film: Rajathi Raja150th Film : PadyappaAwards:* 2000 Padma Bhushan award from the Govt of India.Tamil Nadu Govt awards1999 - Best Actor(Padayappa)1989 - MGR award1984- Kalaimamani award1982- Best Actor (Moondru Mugam)1978 - Best Actor(mullum Malarum)

* Filmfare Awards

1984 - Best Actor(Nallavanuku Nallavan)

* Cinema Express Awards

1995- Best Actor(Muthu)

1993 - Best Story writer (Valli)

1992 - Best Actor( Annamalai)

1991 - Best Actor(Thalapathy)

1988 - Best Achiever Award(Blood Stone)

1985 - Best Actor(Sri Raagavendirar)

1984 - Best Actor(Nallavanauku Nallavan)

* 1995 Best Actor Screen Awards(Peaddarayadu)

ENTRY TO THE FILM INDUSTRY:

Rajinikanth was born on December 12 1949 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He was the fourth child to his parents, Rambhai and Ramoji Rao.His original name was Sivaji Rao Gaekwad. He lost his mother at the age of five. He had his schooling at the Acharya Patasala in Bangalore andthen at the Vivekananda Balak Sangh, a unit of the Ramakrishna Mission. His mother tongue is Marathi, though he has not done any films in it.Before starting his career in the film industry, he had to take up all sorts of odd jobs. He served as a bus conductor for Karnataka state transport corporation in Bangalore. It was during this time that he nurtured his acting interests by performing in various stage plays.

Acting career:

A friend helped him to join the Madras Film institute where Rajinikanth completed basic acting course in 1974 at the age of 25.He started his acting career in Kannada in the movie Kathaa Sangama , directed by Puttanna Kanagal, in 1976.In Tamil, he started withplaying supporting roles, beginning as a cancer patient in Apoorva Raagangal (1975), directed by K. Balachander, who assigned him his stage name Rajnikanth. After several villainous roles, his first positive role was Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1979), in which Rajnikanth played afailed lover in the first half and a do-gooder in the second.

The second phase of his life started with K Balaji’s Billa, a superhit disproving the canard spread by detractors that Rajnikant was “finished”. He was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits like Pokkiri Raja, Thanikkattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla and the all-important Moondru Mugham, in which Rajni essayed a triple role. Even two decades after its release, the last continues to be a box-office draw and Rajni’s fans can never tire of the thalaivar’s verbal clash with villain Senthamarai. K Balachander’s first home production, Nettrikkam proved to be yet another milestone in Rajni’s career.As an actor, Rajnikant’s greatest asset, apart from his style is his sense of humour and comic timing. Like Amitabh Bachchan is popular for his drunken soliloquies, Rajnikant is famous for his comic encounters with snakes, repeated umpteen times.

In the early 80s, Rajnikant made a foray into Bollywood with Andhaa Kanoon, a superhit. But Rajnikant could not concentrate on Hindi films because he was already safely ensconced down South. He still made a few films in Hindi, to mention specially Chaalbaaz which had Sridevi ina dual role.After several films in the Eighties, he played a Hindu saint in his 100th movie, Sri Raghavendra. Many others followed, among them dramas, comedies and, at the end of the eighties, action-oriented family entertainers like Velaikkaran and Manidhan.Annamalai, which released in 1992, was the first Rajini film to gross almost Rs. 100 million at the box office.A new trend where his films’ collections exceed normal regional film expectations started off with Basha, followed by Annamalai, Arunachalam, Ejaman, Muthu and Padayappa. It’s now an accepted fact that only a Rajnikant film can break records set by his own films.Apart from Tamil, Rajnikanth has acted in over 160 movies, including Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and Bengali. He has also acted in a Hollywood movie Bloodstone in 1988.

Rajnikanth was awarded the Padma Bhushan award in the year 2000 and was rated as one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asia week. Rajnikanth has won the Filmfare Best Actor Award, South on 2 occasions. He is the highest paid actor in India and the second highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan.

Unlike the eighties, several movies during his nineties were successful, like Muthu or Basha. At 53, his Baba released amid fanfare. Although the film grossed enough to cover its budget, it was viewed as a miserable showing and fell short of market expectations accumulating heavy losses for the distributors. Rajnikanth himself returned the losses back to the distributors who had immense faith in him. The whole affair cost him dear in terms of repute of making a comeback.

Chandramukhi, a remake of the Malayalam movie Manichitrathazhu. Chandramukhi was claimed as one of the most successful Tamil films ever as it ran in theatres for over 700 days since release and still running. His next film, Sivaji: The Boss, directed by S. Shankar will be released in 2007.

Shivaji Rao Gaekwad (born on 12 December 1949),[1] professionally known by his stage name Rajinikanth (Marathi: रजनीकांत; Kannada: ರಜನೀಕಾಂತ್; Tamil: ரஜினிகாந்த்), is the highest paid Indian film actor and a prominent media personality.[2] He is best known for his mass popularity and appeal, largely drawn from his mannerisms and stylized delivery of dialogue in films. He received India's third highest honour, the Padma Bhushan, in 2000 for his contribution to Indian cinema.[3] Other than acting, Rajinikanth worked as a screenwriter, film producer, and also a playback singer. Apart from his film career, he is a philanthropist and serves as an influence in the politics of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Rajinikanth made his debut as an actor in Apoorva Raagangal (1975), directed by Kailasam Balachander, whom the actor considers as his mentor. He was later favoured in Tamil cinema for portraying antagonistic characters and gradually rose to acting in lead roles. After the release of his film Bairavi (1978), he became known as the "superstar" of Tamil cinema, a title given to him by film producer S. Dhanu and still used by many people to refer to him.[4][5] While acting in many Indian languages, he also appeared in films of other nations, including in that of the United States. After being paid 20 crores, about US$4.3 million, for his role in Sivaji (2007),[6][7] he became the highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan.[8]

Early life

Rajinikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in a Marathi-family, mother Jijabai and father Ramoji Rao Gaekwad, on December 12, 1950 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He was the youngest among four children; has two elder brothers and a sister. After the death of his mother, he struggled with an impoverished lifestyle during his childhood. He had his formal education in Acharya Patasala and had his higher education in Ramakrishna Mission in Bangalore. Between 1968 and 1973 he worked in many places in Chennai, thus moving continuously from Bangalore to Chennai. He performed various odd jobs before joining the then-Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor. In 1973, he moved to Chennai to seek a career in acting and joined the Madras Film Institute with the help of a friend.[9]

Acting career

Rajinikanth joined the Madras Film Institute in 1973 along with a fellow bus driver and completed a basic course in acting. In the film institute he was helped by his Vice Principal, A. Prabhakaran.[10][11] After he graduated from the film institute another popular hero Chiranjeevi fondly called as megastar also joined the same institute. They both became close friends later.

Rajinikanth has acted in over 150 films, which includes Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, English and Bengali films. Rajinikanth made a foray into Bollywood with Andha Kanoon but did not make as much of an impact as he had in the south. He still appeared in several Hindi films, such as Chaalbaaz, Uttar Dakshan, Geraftaar and Hum. He made his debut in an American film, in a supporting role, with the movie Bloodstone in 1988 with much fanfare in India at the time of its release. However, the movie was unsuccessful in the United States. He also made brief stints in German- and Japanese film industries. His film Muthu was dubbed into Japanese and later turned out to become a major hit in the country, ultimately creating a huge Japanese fan-following for him. In 2005, his film Chandramukhi was dubbed in German and released in all German-speaking nations.

Supporting roles: 1975-1979

Rajinikanth's first film was in Tamil cinema, where he was initially casted in supporting roles, debuting as a cancer patient in Apoorva Raagangal in 1975.[12] The film was directed by K. Balachander, who is constantly referred to by Rajinikanth as his own "guru" or mentor. The following year, Rajinikanth acted in his first Kannada film, Katha Sangama, directed by Puttanna Kanagal. Though Rajinikanth refers to director K. Balachander as his mentor, it was director S. P. Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajinikanth’s image entirely. Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977), as a villain in the first half of the film and a protagonist in the second. Around this time Mullum Malarum (1978), directed by J. Mahendran, established Rajinikanth in the Tamil film arena as a film hero. The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted Muthuraman to make a mushy melodrama with Rajinikanth as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings in Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai (1979). These films were the turning points in Rajinikanth’s career; he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences to one who could also evoke emotions. The acceptance of Rajinikanth sans his stylized mannerisms proved he had at last become a "star" from a "common actor." His film roles were mainly as a villain during the period 1975 to 1977, co-starring frequently with Kamal Haasan as the protagonist, in movies like 16 Vayadhinilae, Moondru Mudichu and Avargal. In 1978, Rajinikanth acted in the film Bairavi, in which he was credited as "superstar."

Gaining popularity: 1980-1989

Rajni as portrayed in his first commercial success Billa (1980).

During this phase of his career, when he was reaching dazzling heights, Rajinikanth abruptly chose to quit acting, but was coaxed back.[13] He continued acting with the blockbuster Tamil film Billa, which was a remake of the blockbuster bollywood movie Don. With its phenomenal success he was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits, namely Murattu Kaalai, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla, Pudukavithai[14] and Moondru Mugam. K. Balachander’s first home production, Netrikan proved to be yet another milestone in Rajni’s career. He acted in his first cameo role alongside Meena Durairaj, who was a child actor then, in the movie Anbulla Rajinikanth (1984). More box-office hits dominated the 80's with Padikkathavan, Thee, Velaikaran, Dharmathin Thalaivan, Mr. Bharath, and Maaveeran all of which are remakes of Amitabh Bachchan movies.[15][16] In his 100th movie, Sri Raghavendra, he played the Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami.

Career peak: 1990-1999

The vast majority of his movies released during the nineties were extremely successful, notably Thalapathy, Mannan, Annamalai, Uzhaippali, Veera, Badsha, Muthu,[17]Arunachalam and Padayappa. Rajinikanth wrote his first screenplay and acted as a special appearance in the film Valli (1993) which however failed to make an impact at the box office. His cult classic Badsha, released in 1995, went on to become a massive blockbuster and is routinely touted by his fans and critics alike as the movie which elevated him from being just another very popular actor with loads of charisma to an almost demigod status in the eyes of the masses. His film Muthu was the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese as Muthu: The Dancing Maharajah and became very popular in Japan.[18][19] Throughout this decade, Rajinikanth established himself as a box office phenomenon; all of the films mentioned in this era were all formulaic mass entertainers which routinely succeed in box office. It can be argued that it was also during this time that Rajinikanth started to converge with politics, whether that confluence was voluntary or not is debatable, but the objective fact cannot be disputed that as his films began to take on a whole new dimension in terms of expectations, hype and revenue, his political clout also steadily rose with the cinematic tide as well. This trend began with the release of Annamalai in 1992 and arguably climaxed during the time of Padayappa's release in 1999. Being his 150th film, Padayappa, directed by K. S. Ravikumar, undoubtedly turned out to be the largest blockbuster in his career.

Indulging in politics: 2002

The new millennium began very well for Rajinikanth; Padayappa had rewritten previous box office records. Finally, after more than a three year sabbatical from cinema, at 52 years of age, he starred in his home production, Baba which released on August 15, 2002 amidst much fanfare and extreme hype. The film was a poor grosser box-office as it had failed miserably to meet the expectations due to a very weak screenplay, which Rajinikanth himself had written, his second stint at screenplay writing after Valli. The thin screenplay revolved around the story about a gangster who later engages in spirituality and when compared to his previous film, Padayappa, it was a colossal disappointment. Although the film grossed enough to cover its budget, it was viewed as a tremendous loss when compared to his previous box office successes throughout his career. It fell short of market expectations and the high bids reportedly translated to heavy losses for the distributors. Rajinikanth himself repaid the losses incurred by the distributors.[20][21] Rajinikanth thereafter reported that he was to quit acting, hence taking part in social and political activities.

Return to success: 2005-2007

Rajinikanth (left) as portrayed in a scene in Sivaji.

After the Baba debacle, Rajinikanth mulled over numerous scripts with many directors, including K. S. Ravikumar, and finally chose to act in director P. Vasu's Tamil remake of Manichithrathazhu, Chandramukhi. Many people within the industry had written Rajinikanth off after the Baba fiasco, essentially saying "the bloom was off the rose" and that "the gold does not glitter anymore".[22] In essence, many viewed Chandramukhi as Rajinikanth's comeback film, his make or break movie and in the end, when it was released on April 14, 2005, it went on to create new box office records and smashed his own previous records and once and for all removed any doubt within the industry with regards to Rajinikanth's box office clout and incomparable appeal to the masses. Chandramukhi broke the record of being the longest running Tamil film, as of 2007.[23] Just after Chandramukhi's release, it was reported that AVM Productions were to produce a film directed by S. Shankar starring Rajinikanth, the largest collaboration yet for a Tamil film. The film was titled Sivaji: The Boss and released on June 15, 2007 after two years of filming and meticulous production. With massive international anticipation, it subsequently went on to become a major blockbuster, being ranked among other major Bollywood and Hollywood releases of the year. Sivaji became the first Tamil movie to be charted as one of the top-ten best films of United Kingdom and South Africa box-offices upon release[24][25].

Kuselan controversy: 2008

Following Sivaji, Rajinikanth worked with P. Vasu again for Kuselan, a remake of the Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol, in which Rajinikanth played a cameo role as himself, a star in the Indian film industry, and as a best friend to the main character. According to Rajinikanth, the film somewhat narrarates his early life. The film however performed poorly at box offices; some distributors incurred major losses due to the film, which Rajinikanth voluntarily settled with his own budget.[26][27]

Recent work: 2009-present

During the course of the production for Sivaji, Ocher Studios, the animation company of Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, in association with Adlabs announced their intention of producing a CGI animation film starring an animated version of Rajinikanth. As of 2009, Rajinikanth joined hands with Shankar again for Endhiran, a science fiction film produced by Sun Pictures. He will be lending his voice to the lead character in the animation film, Sultan: The Warrior, which is being directed by his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth.

A. R. Murugadoss had previously shown interest in directing Rajinikanth in his next feature film after Ghajini.[28] Rajinikanth has stated that he is interested in starring in Pyramid Saimira's next production, in order to compensate for Kuselan.[29] Rajinikanth announced that he will no longer be acting in "youth roles" after Endhiran and will begin to act in roles which will be closer to his real age.

Awards and honours

Rajinikanth received his first Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor in 1984 for Nallavanuku Nallavan. He later received Filmfare Award nominations for his performances in Muthu in 1995 and Sivaji in 2007.[30]

Between 1977 and 2009, Rajinikanth received several awards from Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Cinema Express and Filmfans Association for his on-screen performances and off-screen contributions in writing and producing. He has received awards in the Best Actor category for his performance in the films Sivaji, Chandramukhi, Padayappa, Peddarayudu, Badsha, Muthu, Annamalai, Thalapathy, Velaikaran, Sri Raghavendra, Nallavanuku Nallavan, Moondru Mugam, Enkeyo Ketta Kural, Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai, Mullum Malarum and 16 Vayathinile. He received an award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri. He has also received awards in Best Story Writer and Best Producer categories for Valli.

He was named and honoured with the Padma Bhushan award, India's third highest civilian honour, in 2000 from the Government of India.[3] In September 2005, Rajinikanth won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for his role in the film Chandramukhi. Recently, he was selected as the Indian Entertainer of the Year for 2007 by NDTV, competing against the likes of Shahrukh Khan.[31] He has also received other honours such as the Raj Kapoor Award in 2007 from the Government of Maharashtra. He was named as one of the most influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek.[32] In 2010, he received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema.[33]

Notable filmography

Main article: Rajinikanth filmography

Year

Title

Role(s)

Language

Notes

1975

Apoorva Raagangal

Abaswaram

Tamil

1976

Moondru Mudichu

Tamil

1977

16 Vayathinile

Parattai

Tamil

Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri

Aravind

Tamil

1978

Mullum Malarum

Kaali

Tamil

Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor

1979

Ninaithale Inikkum

Tamil

Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai

Santhanam

Tamil

1980

Billa

Billa,Raja

Tamil

Murattu Kaalai

Kaalaiyan

Tamil

1981

Thillu Mullu

Indran/Chandran

Tamil

1982

Moondru Mugam

Alex Pandian,Arun,John

Tamil

Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor

1984

Nallavanuku Nallavan

Manickam

Tamil

Winner: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award

1985

Sri Raghavendra

Raghavendra Swami

Tamil

1991

Thalapathi

Surya

Tamil

1992

Annamalai

Annamalai

Tamil

1995

Badsha

Manickam

Tamil

Muthu

Muthu,Ejamaan

Tamil

Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best ActorNominated: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award

1997

Arunachalam

Arunachalam,Vedachalam

Tamil

1999

Padayappa

Aarupadayappan

Tamil

Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor

2005

Chandramukhi

Dr. Saravanan,King Vettaiyan

Tamil

Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor

2007

Sivaji

Sivaji Arumugam

Tamil

Winner: Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best ActorNominated: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award

2010

Endhiran

Vaseegaran,Chitti

Tamil

Post-production

Personal life

Rajinikanth was born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad to a Marathi family in Bangalore. He worked as a bus conductor, and acted in some plays in his spare time. His friend, a bus driver, encouraged him to join films, and when the Adyar Film Institute was set up in Madras (now Chennai), he enrolled.[34]

He married Latha Rangachari on 26 February 1981, at the age of 31 in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. They now have two daughters named Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth. His wife, Latha Rajinikanth currently runs a school named The Ashram. His elder daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth married actor Dhanush on 18 November 2004 and they have one son named Yathra. His second daughter, Soundarya Rajinikanth, works in the film industry as a director, producer and graphic designer; she became engaged to industrialist Ashwin Ramkumar on 17 February 2010.

Politics

Supported political parties

In 1995, Rajinikanth announced that he is willing to support the Indian National Congress after meeting Prime Minister Narasimha Rao.[35] An opinion poll conducted by the magazine Kumudam predicted that Congress with Rajinikanth's support might win up to 130 seats in Tamil Nadu Assembly. In 1996, when the Congress Party decided to align with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Rajinikanth supported Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) alliance. The TMC used a bicycle as their election symbol and used an image of Rajinikanth riding a bicycle from the film Annamalai in their posters. Rajinikanth said, "Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if AIADMK returns to power." Rajinikanth wholeheartedly supported the DMK and TMC alliance and asked the people of Tamil Nadu and his fans to vote for that alliance. This alliance had a complete victory in 1996.[35]

In 1996, Rajinikanth supported the DMK-TMC alliance in parliamentary elections.[36]

Cauvery river strikes

In 2002, Rajinikanth undertook a day-long fast to protest Karnataka's decision to not to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.[37] and announced that he would contribute Rs 10 million toward a plan to interlink the Indian rivers. He met with Prime Minister Vajpayee and many experts to canvass support for the project.[38] Other members of the Tamil film industry, including members of the Actors Association the DMK, had planned a solidarity protest and Director Bharathi Raja stated that Rajinikanth was on the verge of dividing the film industry and called him "traitor who had a tacit understanding with the Karnataka Government".[39]

During the 2008 Hunger Strike organized by the South Indian Film Artistes' Association in support of the Hogenakkal drinking water project, he reprimanded Karnataka politicians. Further, he appealed to leaders not to inflame the water project issue for political gains and requested that the issue should be resolved soon. He urged the Karnataka politicians "to speak the truth." "People are equal to God. They cannot be fooled and will not remain silent if you continue to act in such manner," he stated.[40] Leader of the Pro-Kannada group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Vatal Nagaraj demanded an apology from Rajinikanth and threatened that he would not be allowed in the state of Karnataka and all his films would be boycotted for Rajinikanth's speech against Kannada politicians.[41]

2008 mock party

Several local fan associations of Rajinikanth in Tamil Nadu have continuously wanted him to take active participation in politics. In this regard, a few fans in Coimbatore started their own political party in the name of Rajinikanth and introduced their own flags and symbols for the party in mid-2008. When the actor heard about this, he wrote an open letter to the press and declared that he had no connection with these events and has strictly warned fans not to indulge in such activities, and failing to adhere would cause him to take up legal action against them. He also mentioned that he was not interested in politics and thus, was only committed to the production of his film Endhiran. He added that nobody can force him to enter politics, just as no one can stop him from entering it at the right time.[42]

Philanthropy

He converted one of his banquet halls, the Raghavendra Marriage Hall, to a charitable trust to help the needy.[43] As of 2007[update], he planned to construct a new hospital and a new school on a piece of land near Chennai.[44]

Criticism

In 2002, during Rajinikanth's own hunger strike for agitating the state of Karnataka to release Cauvery river water into Tamil Nadu, another hunger strike was organized by the Tamil film directors' association. Rajinikanth had yet continued with his own strike. leading to several criticism of Rajinikanth. Director Bharathi Raja, who also condemned other actors and politicians of Tamil Nadu, had stated that Rajinikanth was on the verge of dividing the film industry.[45]

Also in 2002, Pattali Makkal Katchi leader S. Ramadoss condemned him for smoking and posing with beedi's in his film Baba. He was criticised for spoiling Tamil youth by glorifying smoking and drinking. PMK volunteers attacked theatres which screened the movie Baba and usurped film rolls and burnt it.[46] Famous film producers like M. Saravanan accused Ramadoss saying that cigarette smoking and drinking are shown in all movies and that Baba was just being "picked on" by the PMK leader because of his popularity in Vanniar areas which is considered PMK bastion. To stop controversies, Rajinikanth reported that he was not going to act in any roles that require him to drink or smoke. In keeping his words, the roles he appeared in thereafter did not show the actor drinking or smoking.

Following the release of Kuselan in Karnataka on August 1, 2008, Rajinikanth thanked the Kannada film industry for allowing the release of his latest film and lifting the ban. He gave an open statement clarifying his stand to the people of Karnataka state and regretted for not being clear in his speech during the Hogenakkal Water Project hunger strike.